SinoPenn

Just a few pics of what’s around our new apartment in Jiuting. Continue reading

I might have mentioned that we got the keys a couple weeks ago, and renovation started about a week and a half ago.

That being said, here are a few photos of what they’ve done so far.
(note: Pics are from Picasa Web Albums. You’re screwed if you’re in China.)

Bedroom Before

From New Apartment-Before Renovation

Continue reading

Mickey Mouse huffing a bottle of Chivas

Mickey mouse does indeed have poor taste in booze.  Seen here hoisting a bottle of Chivas Regal on his back, he almost looks like he’s begging Minnie (off in the distance somewhere) to try some.

This was seen over at Hom-Mart, a renovation & interior decoration supermarket over by Beixinjing Station.  Grace & I have been spending some time (hours and hours and hours and…) looking at tiles & such for the kitchen and bathrooms for our new apartment.  This particular one caught my attention, first because I didn’t even know Mickey drinks, and second,  well, it’s Mickey with a drink!  A rather bad one at that.

Mickey mouse, with all that cash, has to have better taste than this.

Other tiles included (alcohol-free) piano-playing oranges, that big green walking balloon thing from the Shanghai Metro television & his pink blog girlfriend, Japanese Geishas, toilets (wait.. for the kitchen?  nahhh) and various other happy smiling… things.

But thanks to Disney (okay, fine… Hom-mart.  Doubt Disney would sanction this), I now know what to put in the baby bottle when we have kids!

New Apartment is coming along nicely!

Despite the fact that some buildings don’t really like to stand, ours so far has, and the development of the commercial parts of the Bayside Gardens complex is starting to come along nicely now!  We’ll be moving in in probably March now, according to the wife.  After looking at 5 hours worth of tiles for the apartment last sunday, I’m about all renovated out, and we haven’t even started yet.

Our new apartment! Sorry for the bad scan. Will try to get a better one next time we’re in Jiuting.

From Shanghai, China- Miscellaneous Pics

But here it is! This is what we just bought here in Shanghai. 132 sqm (1420 square feet), the place will be ready in another 9 months. The building, as well as a third of the apartment complex is still being built. When it’s finished though, it’ll be a rather beautiful place to live, both the apartment and the surrounding areas.

Yesterday, we spent the day in Jiuting again, looking at various places, our fourth trip there. We saw one place that we liked, in a building already finished, but the asking price was too high. Some people there, who bought their places before the economic meltdown, paid a much higher price, and are now suddenly desperate to sell. Sell for a loss though, it’s not going to happen. We passed on those ones, and someone from Bayside Garden told us of a special deal in the apartments near the main gate.

The people at Bayside were helpful. We told them that while we have the money, they’re in accounts that if we pulled them out early, we would lose the interest earned on them. They however, came back and told us that they can match the interest. After a bit more negotiating, we got the price per sqare meter down to something more manageable (an effort to secure a lower rate of interest from the amount we still have to borrow) and afterwhich, we paid the deposit and signed the papers. On Friday, we’ll go back to pay the down payment and arrange for the loan.

View Larger Map